From my “Sasarindō” scenario for Blood & Honor, here are some new Aspects I adapted from existing Japanese proverbs. Feedback is welcome, and appreciated. Feel free to use these for your own samurai, but please do not take credit for them or post them on your own site. “One’s Eyes Say More than One’s Mouth” Invoke: +3D for communicating non-verbally. Compel: Easily gives things away with one’s eyes. “Like a Fish to a Cat” Invoke: +3D to make preparations to secure your “fish.” Compel: You believe...

My dad listens to that craziest shit, but sometimes those internet radio stations of his pay off. Just as I was finishing chores to prepare for tonight’s Turkey Fest the Yoshida Brothers came on, and I knew I’d found the new soundtrack to Sasarindō, Blood & Honor, and Legend of the Five Rings, among others. A few of my favorite tracks: Some of the tracks are slightly campy/new age/jazzy, depending on your taste in music, but overall I’ve had a hard time finding suitable instrumental tracks that aren’t from movies (Kurosawa’s...

Six men and women, six virtues, six destinies, six downfalls. Picking back up on work for Sasarindō, a Blood & Honor adventure inspired by the Tale of the Heike, I finally got all the player characters completed and will convert them into my lovely writable sheets shortly. All that’s left afterwards is to gloss the rules for more additions/changes given the time period and then get into the story hooks, character connections, and hurdles of the scenario itself. I intend to get a draft ready for playtesting by the end of November, at which point I will...

One thing I’ve noticed as I begin to play Shinobicow’s Google Plus L5R game is how much hesitation I face when playing Shigeru. Physically he is very similar to my high elf from Ebbs’ Warhammer Fantasy 3rd Edition campaign, Morvael, but their setting makes the two almost indistinguishable. My Swordsmaster had a realm to save, but my Crane a game of courtly politics to play. Swords as opposed to words, and they could not be more different. Especially in a play-by-post format. I have to role-play more than I roll. Because dice-rolling online is a pain...

How many anime have present-day protagonists get sent backwards in time, or to another world entirely? Off the top of my head I can name Inuyasha, Fushigi Yuugi, Escaflowne, Magic Knight Rayearth, the Twelve Kingdoms without batting an eye. This theme is a beloved one of mine, and it isn’t surprising that many of the above are among my favorite series ever. It works so well as a television/manga trope, but I wonder if it can’t–or won’t–translate into the realm of pen and paper role-playing...

Triple Crit is a blog for storytellers of all sorts, be they behind the GM screen, keyboard, or character sheet. Here you can find articles and advice on campaign management, adventure design, character development, writing, and geek culture.

The author, Katrina Ostrander, is a twenty-something gamer chick, game master, and blogger working in the tabletop games industry for Fantasy Flight Games. In addition to her work as an editor of tie-in fiction, she has worked on nearly a dozen roleplaying game adventures and supplements. Her opinions are her own.